The Other Hogwarts
by AlwaysJustSecondBest
Summary: Harry Potter is no stranger to strange and frightnening situations. He has long accepted that he attracts the most unfortunate misadventures, even for a wizard. But when he comes face to face with the most bizarre and dangerous one yet, he isn't quite sure how he'll be able to fix it. Takes place during Half-Blood Prince. Next Gen. Time Travel.
1. Boom, Scrape, Lurch

**Alright, so this is my first story on . I've got about 7 chapters written so far, but I won't post them all at once. I'll update every week or so, just to space it out. Let me know what you guys think! Any sort of review is much apperciated!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, this is merely fanfiction.**

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Boom, Scrape, Lurch

It was loud.

The noise, it was deafening. It woke them up, every single one. First there was this boom, like a thunderstorm exploded. It shook the entire castle, rattling windows and shaking pictures off the walls. Then there was this horrible scraping noise, like nails on a chalkboard.

It seemed like everyone was screaming, or yelling, or running about; out the dorms, down the hall, up the stairs. But it couldn't drown out that awful noise.

Then the lurch.

It made everyone fall face first. The scraping became louder, and it didn't take long for them to realize that the castle was in motion.

The teachers tried to calm the students, but they were just as shocked and terrified. What was going on? What the _hell_ was going on?

Nothing worked. They all felt it. It was moving faster now, gaining speed. The brave souls who dared look out the windows confirmed this. The landscape was nothing but a blur now.

The Headmaster seemed to drum up enough nerve to order everyone into the Great Hall. No sooner had the last student been ushered in when there was yet another gigantic lurch.

Again everybody fell as the scraping noise reached a crescendo. The Headmaster ordered everybody to stay on the floor and cover there ears. There was nothing more they could do.

It was slowing down. Then, with another ear-splitting boom, it stopped.

Nobody moved. Everyone was silent, wondering what would happen next.

Then the Headmaster spoke.

"Remain calm and get up. Slowly."

They did as they were told. Many were covering there bloody noses as they stood on shaky legs. They looked at eachother, not sure what to say. It was the quietest the castle had ever been.

"Somebody check where we are." The Headmaster said, turning to his staff as they brushed themselves off.

But a student had already took it upon himself to check.

"Hey! We've run over the Quidditch Field!"

Students rushed toward the many windows to see if he was right.

"We have!"

"You'd think we've moved a lot farther than a couple of kilometers..."

"How are we going to play Quidditch?"

The teachers looked relieved. The Headmiaster himself couldn't help but sigh. So they just seemed to move into the middle of the Quidditch Field. He could deal with that.

"Wait, is that another castle?"

Now the students were trying to climb over eachother to get a better look. The staff's relief quickly turned to confusion as they exchanged worried looks. It turned into terror when they heard the students' reactions.

"No way!"

"It's another Hogwarts!"

"Does this mean Quidditch is canceled?"

He needed to see this for himself.

"Excuse me." He said, gently pushing aside the children who were blocking the nearest window.

They were right were the Quidditch Field used to be, that much he could tell. But what was that about another castle?

"I don't see another castle..." He said, more to himself than anyone else.

"You have to look really hard," a Hufflepuff third-year told him. She pointed to the right. "Over that way."

He looked. And through the hazy, night sky was the unmistakable silhouette of Hogwarts.

The Headmaster was speechless. He turned to look at his staff, who were looking at him expectantly. He didn't have a clue why there was another Hogwarts where their Hogwarts used to be. He didn't know how they ended up running over the Quidditch stands. He had no idea what to do. He had no answers.

Suddenly the noise died down. Everyone turned to him, waiting for instructions. He had none. He was completely and utterly dumb-founded.

A student raised his hand. He just looked at him, his mouth slightly agape.

The student didn't wait to be called on.

"So seriously, is Quidditch canceled or not?"

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**Alright, so kind of boring, I know, and not very long. But it'll get more interesting, I promise. Every week (I'll try and shoot for every Sunday) I'll add a new chapter. Please let me know what you think! Bad? Good? Any sort of feedback would make me happy! :D**


	2. The Worst Way to Wake Up

**AN: Okay, so Chapter 2 is finally up. This is another short one, but I promise, the chapters will get longer and the plot will pick up in due course. Please review, reviews help me become a better writer!**

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter does not belong to me, but J.K. Rowling... obviously.**

The Worst Way to Wake Up

BOOM!

Harry woke with a start. He quickly put on his glasses and looked around.

His roommates had heard it too.

"What was that?" Dean asked.

"Dunno." Seamus said. "But it was bloody loud wasn't it?"

Neville looked terrified. "Are we going to die?"

Harry and Ron exchanged puzzled looks. Whatever it was, it didn't sound good.

"Come on." Harry said. He slipped on his robe and climbed down into the Common Room. The others followed.

Harry found most of Gryffindor there, along with Hermione. He rushed over to her. Hermione gave him a nervous smile when he approached. "Did it wake you up too?"

"How couldn't it? I don't know anyone who could sleep through that. Well, maybe except Ron..."

Hermione stiffened.

Harry sighed. He supposed he wasn't surprised. It would take a lot more than a weird noise to get them talking again.

"What do you think it was?" She said, pointedly changing the subject.

"I don't know, but whatever it was, it-" He stopped. Hermione wasn't listening, she seemed preoccupied with looking over her shoulder.

He turned to see what she was looking at, and his heart plummeted. Ron was snogging Lavender in a corner.

"-sounded bad." He finished lamely.

Finally, she was able to tear her gaze away, Harry tries not to notice the tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, " she said, brushing them way in frustration, "what did you say?"

Harry repeated himself, and she sighed in exasperation.

"Well of course it sounded bad! But I can't think of anything that could make-"

She was interrupted by the Common Room door being flung open by a very harassed looking Professor McGonagall.

"Professor-" Harry began.

"Everyone back to your dormitories." She said. "There is nothing to fear-"

"What was that Professor?" A second-year girl asked.

"Never you mind." She said briskly. "Go back to bed."

"But how can we go back-" Dean began.

"May I remind you that their will be classes tomorrow, so you will need your rest."

"Unbelievable..." Somebody muttered.

"It's a bloody castle!"

The yell came from outside the Common Room. Without another word, Professor McGonagall whipped around and left, the portrait swinging shut behind her.

No sooner had she left when Seamus rushed to the window.

"No bloody way..."

Harry managed to get close enough to see what he was gawking at. He inhaled sharply. He heard Hermione gasp next to him.

Right where the Quidditch Field used to be, was another Hogwarts Castle.

"How did it get here?" Harry wondered out loud.

He turned to Hermione, but she merely shook her head.

"It can't be... It's not possible... _not_ possible."

"Hey!" Ron yelled. Harry turned to see him pressed up to the window next to his, Lavender right behind him. "They landed on our Quidditch Field!"

Hermione let out a snort. "Excuse me? Landed?"

"Well yeah," Ron said sheepishly, "it probably fell from the sky."

"There's no way it fell from the sky." Hermione snapped. "It obviously materialized here."

"But how do you explain the loud noise? It probably plopped right on the ground."

Hermione gave a harsh laugh. Harry cringed. "That's the most idiotic thing I ever heard! If it just 'plopped down' there would be a huge crater and-"

"Look it's Professor Dumbledore!"

The attention moved back to the window. Walking toward the other castle was none other than Professor Dumbledore, followed by the Heads of Houses.

"What are they doing?"

"They're investigating of course!"

"Do you think there are people inside that castle?"

Harry's mind was whirring. Where did it come from? Why was it here? How did it get here?

He barely heard the Head Boy tell them to get to bed. He felt numb, detached as he climbed back up to the boys' dormitory. He said nothing as the other boys talked and exchanged theories. He just nodded when Ron proudly defended his "dropped from the sky" theory.

He didn't really register when the boys finally went to sleep and turned off the lights. Something was wrong, something was terribly wrong.

And he wasn't going to rest until he found out what was going on.


	3. The Warning

**AN: It's Sunday agian, so here's another chapter for you all! I'm going to college next week, so hopefully updating won't be slower than it is already. It's a huge transition for me though, and I'm a little nervous... :( I hope I have time to write while I'm there! And as always, please review. It helps me know how to improve myself, and makes my writing more enjoyable to read!**

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, not me.**

The Warning

The next morning, while Harry was eating breakfast with Hermione (Ron was sitting with Lavender), Professor Dumbledore strolled in and took his place at the staff table. He caught Harry's eye and gave him a small smile, placing his hands in front of him, careful to hide the black, charred one from view.

Then, Harry saw the Heads of Houses ushering students in. Some were obviously sleeping moments ago, for they were yawning and occasionally shooting the teachers dirty looks.

It wasn't until the entire student body was in the Great Hall that Dumbledore stood up and worked his way to the podium.

"Good morning students!" He said, his eyes twinkling. "I hope you were able to sleep well last night."

Most of the students grumbled.

"I hoped to give a short speech before we begin classes." He continued. "So by all means, continue eating."

Nobody was eating. An excited silence took hold of the student body. They all knew what this was about.

"It must be about the other Hogwarts!" Hermione whispered unnecessarily. Harry nodded.

"I would just like to ask that nobody go near the Quidditch Field, and that Quidditch, for the time being, is under permanent hiatus."

There was a lot of boos and NO!'s to this. Harry, of course, was upset too, but it seemed obvious that it would be a problem to play Quidditch when there was no field to speak of.

Once the noise died down again, Professor Dumbledore continued on.

"I would also like to ask that nobody try and communicate with our new neighbors. It is for the best that we go about our business and pretend they aren't there." His gaze swept the students as he said this. "If anyone is caught trying to go into the castle, then you will be suspended. No questions asked."

"But where did it come from?" A student shouted. There was a lot of murmurs of agreement to this.

Dumbledore shook his head. "I am sorry to say that I know the answer to this, but I cannot tell you. Rest assured that it is nothing you need to worry yourself about. As long as everybody follows our new rules, nothing bad should happen."

Harry looked at Hermione and saw his own confused expression mirrored on her.

"Also," he said, his gaze suddenly stern, "all Hogsmeade trips are canceled for the rest of the school year. For... obvious reasons."

Harry felt a pange of guilt. He completely forgot about the Katie Bell incident.

"Well, if we all understand, you are dismissed to your first class. Have a wonderful day."

Amongst the scraping of chairs and growing noise of excited murmurs, Harry tried to catch Dumbledore's eye again, but the Headmaster had already swept out of the room. Disappointed, he joined the other students as they filed out.

"So there are people in the other castle." Harry said as the left the Great Hall and headed over to his first class. It was Monday, so he was taking Defense Against the Dark Arts with Professor Snape. He should have felt disdained, but he felt nothing but curiosity and excitement. "Are they students like us?"

"I don't know." Hermione said. "Oh this just doesn't make _sense! Where_ did it come from?"

"Maybe we should investigate..."

Hermione let out a small gasp. "Harry, we mustn't! Professor Dumbledore_ specifically _said-"

"Something isn't right." Harry said as they entered the classroom. "I mean," he dropped his voice as they sat down at their favorite table in the back. "This has Malfoy written all over it!"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Oh not that rubbish again! Harry you honestly don't think-"

"Silence." Snape snapped. The room immediately quieted. "Now open your books to page 36..."

Hermione opened her book at once, with no intention of finishing her thought, but Harry knew what she was about to say. "You honestly don't think Malfoy's got anything to do with this?"

Harry payed no heed to Snape or his Bulgarian Gargoyles._ First Katie Bell, now this? _Harry thought. _What's Malfoy playing at? What's he trying to do? Is this an accident or a intentional command from Voldemort? _Harry didn't know, but he was determined to find out.

**AN: God these chapters are short. Maybe I should have combined a few of them... oh well. Please please PLEASE review. It would make me happy! :D Thanks for reading!**


	4. The Recruitment

**AN: Ugh! It's been an extremely busy week for me. I just moved into my dorm at college last Thursday, and I've been participating in some activities and meeting new people etc. I'll be starting classes tomorrow and to tell you the truth, I'm pretty excited! The sad part is that between classes, homework, studying, and my campus job, I'll have virtually NO time to write, so updating might be extremely slow. Please have patience with me!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling does...**

The Recruitment

"What do you think?'

"I still think it fell from the sky." Ron said between mouthfuls of his roast beef sandwich. "I mean, how else could it have gotten here?"

"That's not what I mean." Harry said rolling his eyes.

From the corner of his eye he saw Lavender Brown, eyeing them with the intensity that a hungry lioness watches a particularly tasty looking gazelle. It took him a full 10 minutes for him to explain that he needed to talk to Ron, just for a couple of minutes, _alone_. Her stare unnerved him to no end, but he supposed this was the only way to talk to Ron. She could stare, but at least she couldn't eavesdrop.

"I mean, should we try and find out what's going on?"

"Why? Seems under control to me."

"Ron, a castle has replaced our Quidditch Pitch. That doesn't seem like the situation's 'under control' to me. Besides, I just know Malfoy's got something to do with this."

Ron let out an irritated sigh.

"Harry, I don't think he had anything to do with the necklace _or_ the castle. He isn't smart enough to do either of those things. Why would You-Know-Who want another castle next to Hogwarts anyway?"

"I don't know, maybe he wanted to crush somebody."

Ron's eyes lit up. "So you think it fell from the sky too?"

Er... maybe. Look, it couldn't help to see what's going on."

"Yes it could! You know what Dumbledore said: we could get suspended!"

"We won't get caught if we use the Invisibility Cloak! Come on Ron, aren't you just a little curious?"

"Well..."

"We have to make sure this doesn't have something to do with Voldemort, because that if it does? What if we ignore it like everyone else and it's full of Death Eaters, or trolls, or something?"

"I'm sure Dumbledore knows what he's doing..."

"That's another thing! What's Dumbledore know that we don't know? What is he not telling us? I'm tired of Dumbledore hiding secrets from me, from _us_!"

"Harry, keep it down... people are staring."

Harry looked around. People indeed were staring. Harry dropped his voice to a whisper.

"We should do it tonight."

Ron's eyes widened. "Do what tonight?"

"Go to the other castle of course! See what's going on. Where they came from, how they got here, what they're doing here..."

Ron sighed. "Alright mate, if you think it's important, than I'm in. But if we're caught, you're going to have to tell Mum you dragged me into this..."

Harry grinned. "Excellent! Now I'll have to tell Hermione..."

Ron's face paled. "Hermione's coming too?"

"Of course she is." Said Harry, exasperated.

"Maybe this isn't such a good idea..."

"Ron, this is important. I need both of you there."

Ron took a quick glance around. "Alright fine. But she's in a right state you know... could jeopardize the whole mission..."

"I'll talk to her okay?" Harry said quickly. "Don't worry about her."

"It's been at least 10 minutes!" A shrill voice said from behind.

Both boys jumped, Harry nearly knocking over his Pumpkin Juice. They turned to see Lavender, hands on her hips, with a very pouty expression on her face.

"Right then... well..." Ron got up, and giving Harry a sheepish grin, entwined his fingers with his girlfriend's. "See you tonight?"

"See you."

Harry, watching the two of them leave the Great Hall, couldn't help but hope that the relationship didn't last much longer. He just didn't have the stomach for it anymore.

"Absolutely not."

Harry sighed. He decided to talk to Hermione right after classes today, and knowing more likely than not she would be in the library, he left Ron and Lavender to their own devices in the Common Room.

"Just hear me out Hermione-"

"No!" She said, slamming her Ancient Runes book down on the table and glaring at Harry. "It's none of our-"

"SHHH!" Said Madam Pince from across the room.

-business." She ended in a whisper.

"Look," said Harry, talking in a low murmur, "we need to figure this thing out-"

"Why? Dumbledore said we needn't worry about-"

"But we do! Something isn't right Hermione, and Dumbledore's not telling is anything."

"Harry, we could get into serious trouble-"

"Since when has that ever stopped us before?" Snapped Harry. "How are you going to sleep at night knowing there's a Hogwarts castle right next to us with no explanation of how it got there?"

"Because I have faith in our Headmaster!" She whispered angrily.

"Don't you even care to figure out what happened?"

Hermione opened her mouth as if to say something, than closed it. Her brown eyes softened.

"I am curious..." She said quietly. "I mean, it's been eating me up all day..."

"One quick look around, tonight, inside-"

"Tonight!?" Hermione said loudly.

"Quiet!" Barked Madam Pince. "One more outburst like that and you can find another place to study!"

"Harry!" Hermione whispered. "We need more time to plan this..."

"What?" Invisibility Cloak, our wands, we're all set!"

Hermione sighed. "Fine. But I swear to God Harry, if this gets us suspended..."

"Don't be so melodramatic. We've done much more dangerous things."

Hermione turned to look out the window, where the other castle was barely visible.

"We'll see."

**AN: Another boring chapter huh? Sorry 'bout that! Please review, and as always thanks for reading!**


	5. The Mission

**AN: Another chapter successively posted! Horrah! As stated perviously, I just enrolled in college, and finding the time to post chapters, let alone write more, is a great accomplishment. I love college, but between the homework, studying, and hanging out with friends, it's hard to find yourself alone in your room with nothing to do. I managed to find time this morning to post this, as most of my friends are still sleeping. I still have a few more already-written chapters to post, but updating might be slow in the future.**

**Disclaimer: I'm not J.K. Rowling, and Harry Potter does not belong to me, including characters, settings, places, and things.**

The Mission

When Harry and Hermione returned to the Common Room, they found it full of Gryffindors, some completing their homework or playing Wizard Chess and Exploding Snap, but most of them chattering mildly about the other castle. It seemed, however, that despite their curiosity, nobody planned on investigating any further. Dumbledore rarely threatened students with suspension unless it was vital, and this, coupled with the recent attack on Katie Bell, left them to merely to speculate.

But not Harry. Whatever happened, whatever the cause, he needed to find out as much as possible. Determined, he wouldn't let his mind wander to the possibility of suspension: what it would be like to simply leave and never return, to have his wand snapped in half, and to live the rest of his days as a had-been wizard, with Voldemort on the rise...

He waited, with an anxious Hermione on his side, for the Common Room to empty. He had his cloak tucked carefully underneath him, and, as an afterthought, brought the Marauder's Map as well; it was hidden inside his robes, along with his wand.

A couple hours later, at half-past eleven, Lavender finally decided she needed her sleep. With a very long kiss goodbye, she detached herself from Ron and made her way to the Girls' Dormitories. Looking satisfied, he plopped himself on Harry's other side, not noticing Hermione's look of complete disgust.

"Got everything?" He whispered to Harry.

"Yep."

An hour later, after the last of the students had gone to bed, Harry looked at Ron and Hermione in turn.

"Ready?" He asked them.

They both nodded.

Pulling the cloak over the three of them, Harry led the way out, tapping the blank map.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." He whispered.

The map slowly began to show its contents: all of the hallways, rooms, and secret passageways Hogwarts had to offer. With a few Prefects a floor above him and Filch and his cat patrolling a few hallways away, they silently made their way to the Entrance Hall.

"Ron!" Hermione hissed suddenly. "Crouch down! Our ankles are showing!"

"Huh?" Ron looked down. His tall frame was raising the Cloak a few inches off the ground, making all three of their feet quite visible.

"Right...sorry." He doubled-over, letting the Cloak sweep the marble floor. "I'm getting too tall for this thing really..."

"Almost there..." Harry whispered as they neared the large oak doors that led outside.

"Honestly," Hermione said from the very back, "you'd think they'd have more security with another Hogwarts only a few kilometers away."

"They probably don't think anyone would be mad enough to try and sneak over there." Ron said. "They were wrong though, eh?"

"Most people don't have an Invisibility Cloak." Harry pointed out, opening the doors.

The chilly November air greeted them as they skirted down the stone steps and towards the Quidditch Pitch.

"Too bad really." Ron mused. "They could've landed anywhere and it had to be right in the middle of the Quidditch Field!"

Harry heard Hermione sigh exasperatedly.

"It didn't land Ron, it materialized-"

"It was dragged." Harry interrupted. "Look."

They were close enough to see great, large trenches behind the castle, along with great mounds of upturned dirt, sure signs that it was moving quite like someone had tied a rope to it and pulled it along.

"But how?"

"Dunno," Harry said grimly, "but we'll find out won't we."

Harry looked down to consult his map, but found it to be completely blank again. He stopped suddenly, Ron and Hermione almost running into him.

"That's weird..."

"What?" Said both Ron and Hermione.

"The map's... broken or something... nothing's showing up!"

"Lemme see." Ron said, snatching the map from Harry and peering down at it. "I'm solemnly swear that I'm up to no good... nope... didn't work." Ron handed the map back to Harry. "Sorry mate, don't know what's wrong with it."

"Let's go," Harry said, tucking the broken map into his pocket. "We'll worry about it later."

But they only managed a few more steps before Harry collided with something solid.

"Ow!"

"What the-"

Massaging his nose, Harry stretched his hand tentatively before him. What should have been air was a very sturdy, and invisible, wall.

"It's like a force field or something..."

"It's a Protective Charm." Hermione said, pulling out her wand. "A rather strong one, but I might be able to... yes, hold on."

She muttered a string of words, her wand held very firmly in front of her. Harry felt the wall flicker, then disappear altogether.

"Hurry," Hermione grunted, "I can't hold on much longer."

They hurried through. With a strangled sigh, Hermione let her wand fall, sealing them inside the huge dome, the other castle looming before them.

"How did you do that?" Ron asked, awed.

"I pay attention in Charms!" She snapped.

"Come on," Harry said quietly, "we're nearly there."

They swiftly made their way up the stone steps. Harry placed a hand on the door.

"Wands ready?" Harry asked.

"Yeah." The other two said.

"Alright, here we go..."

Harry opened the door.

**AN: Next chapter is going to be interesting, trust me. It's about time you had something to look forward to! :)**

**And as always, thanks for reading and please review, whether you liked it or not. Constructive critism helps me grow as a writer. And praise makes me want to right more (just saying).**


	6. The Other Hogwarts

**AN: I almost forgot to upload this! But I remembered... oh yes... Anyway, so here's my favorite chapter I've written so far! I only have one more chapter already written, so I'll have to step it up if I want to keep up with my weekly updates. If I start to get slow and chapters aren't coming out fast enough, don't be scared to PM me and remind me of my duties as a fanfiction writer.**

**Diclaimer: Harry Potter doesn't belong to me, it belongs to... what's her face? Stephanie Meyers? Yeah something like that (psssttt it's J.K. Rowling).**

The Other Hogwarts

Harry wasn't sure what he was expecting, but it wasn't this.

He couldn't decide whether this was another Hogwarts or an entirely different castle. Walking across the threshold, Harry noticed that although mostly similar, there were things that were off. They walked on an identical marble floor, but there were completely different stairs; they were much newer, moving almost seamlessly. The ceiling high above them was different too, and he noticed that there weren't nearly as many moving suits of armor.

"Look at the Hourglasses!" Hermione whispered.

The Hourglasses, which kept score of the House Points, were not the ones they had. They were taller and narrower, and gleamed with the shine of a newly polished glass, with the House Crests handsomely displayed on the front. They also had a magnificently carved holder for each one; a golden Gryffindor lion, a bronze Ravenclaw eagle, an ebony Hufflepuff badger, and a silver Slytherin serpent.

"Makes ours look a bit run-down doesn't it?" Hermione said.

"I like ours." Ron said stubbornly.

"Me too." Harry said. "Let's keep moving."

But before they could decide where to go, they heard a merry whistling, coming from somewhere near the Great Hall. The sound was coming closer.

"We have to move!" Hermione hissed. "They can't know we're here, or we're as good as suspended!"

Walking as fast as they dared, they made their way up the staircase. Glancing back, Harry caught sight of the whistler.

A young man, maybe in his late twenties, with a round, ruddy face and a thick brown beard, was sweeping the floor in extravagant swipes, whistling a tune Harry recognized as the theme from Happy Days. Harry was surprised to see he was wearing what appeared to be regular Muggle clothes: a pair of jeans, a sweatshirt, and a football cap Harry was almost sure sported the Blackburn Rovers.

"Cheerful bloke isn't he?" Ron said quietly.

"Is he a Muggle?" Harry asked. "What's he doing here?"

"I don't think he's a Muggle." Hermione whispered. "This is Hogwarts after all... at least I think it is..."

Suddenly they heard a crash from below, making them all jump. An assortment of saucepans, pots, and silverware had fallen out of nowhere, bouncing and clashing all across the floor. The young man was surprised as well. Giving a startled yelp, he held a dustbin above his head to shield himself from falling kitchen wear, brandishing the broom like a sword.

"I know you're there Peeves!" He barked as a lid rolled across the floor noisily. "You might as well come out!"

Harry, Ron, and Hermione watched, transfixed as the poltergeist appeared out of thin air, wearing a very broad grin.

"Fussy, musty, Rusty." He said in a sing-song voice. "Dusty, cussy, Rusty..."

"You think this is funny? You think this is a joke? You could've woken the whole castle you...you-"

Peeves blew a huge raspberry, cackling.

"Me thinks it's very funny good sir." He said silkily. "Nothing funnier than watching Musty Rusty jump out of his skin!" With a final raspberry, he disappeared, his laughter fading away down the hall.

Grumbling, Rusty began picking up the pots and pans, glaring above him, as if he was expecting Peeves to start throwing knives down at him.

"Is he the caretaker?" Ron asked. "I wish we had him instead of Filtch... seems like a nice guy if you ask me..."

They continued up the stairs, finding themselves in the second floor corridor. If Harry hadn't just stepped off the staircase he wouldn't know where he was.

It was completely different from their corridor at Hogwarts. Everything was different, from the floors to the ceiling, looking polished and brand new.

"Definitely not Hogwarts." Ron said gruffly.

"But how do you explain the Hourglasses?" Hermione said. "They had the crest on them! And the Entrance Hall wasn't that different..."

"And Peeves." Harry added. "He was just down there wasn't he?"

"A cheap knockoff maybe," Ron said. "but not Hogwarts. I bet Peeves was just visiting... I hope he stays..."

All of a sudden, they heard footsteps down the hall, rushing towards them. Harry's heart gave a panicked jolt.

"This way." He breathed turning in the opposite direction. But then another set of footsteps echoed down that way, along with raised voices.

"What was that?"

"It came from down here."

Cornered, they were forced to press against the wall right in the middle of the two parties, trying not to get run over.

From both sides came a set of students, a boy and girl. As they neared, Harry saw that the children from the right had silver and green Prefect Badges, while the left had blue and bronze. They stopped right in front of them.

All three gasped. A blonde boy with a pointed face was only a few steps away, his silver eyes darting around, looking for the commotion.

He looked just like Draco Malfoy.

"It's Malfoy!" Harry snarled. Ron and Hermione shushed him.

The Ravenclaw girl's eyes darted to where they stood. She was quite tall and skinny, with long thick red hair. For a brief moment she stared, her brown eyes narrowed in concentration.

"What's wrong Rose?" The other Ravenclaw prefect asked.

"Thought I heard something..." She muttered.

She turned away. Harry didn't dare let out the relieved sigh that was rising in his throat.

"Looks like Peeves struck again." Said the Malfoy look-alike, staring down the stairs to where the man was still picking up pans.

"I feel for that bloke." The Ravenclaw boy said wistfully. "Not being able to use magic... I'll help him shall I?"

"Go ahead." The girl called Rose said. "I can finish our patrol on my own. Our time's nearly up anyway..."

The other three watched him disappear down the stairs.

"Gave me a heart attack that did." Said the Malfoy look-alike. "Thought the castle was moving again with all that noise..."

"I was hoping it was." The other Slytherin said. She had black hair that barely brushed her shoulders, and rather pale eyes. "I thought maybe it might be moving back."

She gave Rose a quick once-over.

"Well?" She asked.

"Well what?" Rose said blankly.

"Haven't you figured it out yet?" The other girl said rather coldly.

"Figured out what?" She said impatiently.

"What happened? How we ended up here?"

Rose just stared at her, an eyebrow raised questionably.

The other girl gave a small shake of her head. "And to think, I thought you were the cleverest witch in our year. I must admit, I'm a little disappointed...Little Miss Weasley doesn't know the answer..."

"I could really care less of what you think Nott." Rose said, just as icily. "And it's not like you have any idea what happened."

"Yes, but I'm not nearly as talented as you my dear. Not nearly as bright or _amazingly gifted, _as Professor Broker put it."

She turned to the boy, Rose fuming behind her.

"I'm going back upstairs Scorpious, before we get in trouble. We still have five minutes left before our shift ends."

With one last withering look at Rose she marched back upstairs.

When her footsteps died away, Rose turned to the boy. "What's her problem!?" She asked angrily.

He shrugged. "Professor Broker did go on a bit about your perfect Sleeping Draught in Potions today, got Violet in a pretty nasty mood. Might want to watch out for him, I think he might be in love with you."

Rose gave him a small smile, and then yawned. "I wish they weren't making us prefects patrol all night. It's not like anyone's going to try and make a run for it." She gave another huge, shuddering yawn. "Mind you, they wouldn't make it two steps out of this castle."

"What'd you mean?"

Rose smirked at him. "I overheard Professor Umora talking to Professor Longbottom. Apparently, they used some kind of Protective Charm around the castle."

"So? Any fourth-year can get past that."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Not any old Protective Charm, Scorpious, a very odd one... I think they called it a 'Prisoner Charm'."

"A what?" Scorpious said.

"It's like the Protective charm, but instead of protecting, it entraps." Rose said. "It's much stronger on the inside then it is on the outside, that is to say, a very simple spell can get you inside it, but it is almost impossible to get out. Professor Flitwick, the Charms professor before Professor Umora, created it. They use it at Azkahban now, instead of those foul dementers."

"So what you're saying is... we can't get out."

"Not without the help of at least half a dozen skilled witches and wizards we can't."

Just then, the Ravenclaw boy bounded up the stairs, looking slightly out of breath. "Just got back from moving those things back to the kitchens, Rusty's having a fit though; I think he's about had it with Peeves..."

He gave Rose an incredulous look.

"I thought you were going to finish patrolling?"

"Just having a nice chat with Scorp here. Oh don't give me that look David," she said quickly as he rolled his eyes, "we would've caught anyone trying to sneak out; the Entrance Hall is right down there."

David checked his watch. "Our shifts just ended anyway. Heading back up to the dormitory?"

"You know it." Rose said, giving another huge yawn. "Night Scorp."

"See ya, Rose."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione watched as the three went their separate ways; Rose and David going upstairs as Scorpious went down.

It was a while before any of them said anything. The Harry seemed to have lost his voice; too many things were swimming in his head.

"D-did she say Weasley?" Ron squeaked finally. "But I don't know her! If she's a Weasley, than she must be distantly related, because I've never _seen_-"

"And that boy," Harry said quietly. "He looked just like Malfoy. What did that girl call him... Scorpious? Think he might have a cousin or something?"

"And who's Professor Umora?"

"Who's Professor _Longbottom_?"

"Reckon he might be Neville's uncle or something?"

"Hermione, what do you think?"

Hermione didn't answer. She had gone very pale, and seemed to be having trouble breathing.

Harry and Ron both looked at her.

"What?"

Hermione looked at them, her eyes wide with terror. "We can't get out."

**AN: Aaaaaannnnddddd... we'll leave it right there! As always, please let me know what you think by leaving a nice little review. I love reading reviews! It's awesome that somebody took the time out of their day to leave a comment, and I promise I read everyone of them. Thanks for reading! :D**


	7. The Names

**AN: Hello again! Here's the 7th chapter, right on schedule! I was able to write the next chapter for next Sunday, so we got at least another weekly upload before I might fall behind. I'm excited because I'm eating Thai food for the first time tonight! Can't wait for some Pan Thai (whatever that is...)!**

**Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter, not me... but this fanfic is mine. MINE!**

The Names

Silently, Harry led them to an abandoned broom cupboard a short distance away from the staircase. Once safely inside, Harry locked the door and pulled off the Cloak, Ron lighting the tip of his wand with a quiet _Lumos._

"How are we going to get out?" Hermione said at once, before the other two had a chance to say anything.

"We'll worry about that later." Harry said evenly. "But what about that Malfoy-"

"Harry!" Hermione said shrilly. "Will you stop worrying about Malfoy for one second!? You heard what that girl said! We. Are. _Stuck. _Here!"

She buried her face in her hands, giving a slight moan.

"I knew this was a bad idea." She said, her voice slightly muffled. "I _knew _it."

"Well, what do you think we should do?" Ron said, as Harry pulled out his map.

"I don't know, maybe we-"

But she was cut off as Harry let out a startled gasp.

"What? _What?" _Ron said, pulling out his wand and gazing around, as if they were in the company of a monster Harry had just seen.

"The Map, it's working again. And I think... _yes._"

"What Harry?" Said Hermione, "Did you find a way out?"

"No, but look."

He held the Map before him, the other two shuffling closer, Ron's wand illuminating its contents so that they were quite clear.

"What are we supposed to be looking at?" Ron asked as Hermione bent closer, her eyes darting over the yellowed parchment.

With a slightly shaky hand, Harry pointed at a name, hovering above a small figure inside a classroom on the fourth floor.

"James Potter. My father."

Hermione's hands flew to her mouth as Ron said "Blimey..."

"Well that explains it doesn't it?" Harry said, his heart thumping wildly in his chest with... what? Fear? Excitement? Anticipation? He wasn't sure. "Why the castle looks different. Why there are students here we don't recognize, or at least for the most part. I think this castle is from the past!"

He looked eagerly at the map again, to see if he can find another name...

"See!" Harry said excitedly, tapping another name. "Look! _Lily Potter_."

"Harry..." Hermione said slowly, as she read the name located inside the girls' dormitories of the Gryffindor Tower. "That doesn't-"

"Sirius must be on here as well... probably with my dad..."

"Fred Weasely?" Ron said suddenly.

"What?" Said Harry, his eyes groping to find the fourth floor classroom where his father resided.

"My brother's with your dad." Ron said, pointing to another name, slowly drifting alongside _James Potter. _"According to the map at least."

Harry followed Ron's finger, frowning slightly. "That's weird. Maybe he got inside the castle too."

"Wouldn't put it past him." Ron murmured. "If he knows this castle's from the past, he would've wanted to meet your dad Harry. They're probably trading ideas... but where's George, surely he's with him..."

"And who's Lucas Branston?" Harry wondered aloud. "And... Bianca Lee? And where are the rest of them? Sirius, Lupin..."

Ron shrugged. "Dunno mate. Maybe they're sleeping?"

"Harry."

"What Hermione?" Harry said, a little annoyed, as he looked for his godfather's name amongst the other Gryffindors in the boys' dormitories.

"Why would your mother's name be Lily _Potter._" She said tentatively. "I mean, wouldn't she be Lily _Evans._"

"The map knows who she's going to marry." Harry said, untroubled.

"I don't think that's how it works..." Hermione said.

Harry, however, was not paying attention. The idea that he might be able to meet his parents, to just talk to him, for the first time in his life, made him experience the most splendid elation he ever had in his life. Better than catching his first Snitch, kissing Cho Chang, even better than the day he found out he was a _wizard_...

As he looked at his parents' names on the map fondly, he heard Hermione give an impatient noise in her throat.

"What?"

"Harry, I know what you're thinking..."

"Yeah?" Harry said, turning to look at her. He could feel his happiness drain as he registered her sympathetic, yet stubborn expression. "And what's that?"

"If these people are really your parents," She gave the map a suspicious glance, as if it was playing a terrible prank on all of them, "then you know we have to stay hidden, not be seen-"

"Hermione, these are my parents. My _dead parents. _You don't honestly think-"

"This is just like with the time-turner Harry. We could do serious damage if show ourselves-"

"I just want to get to know them! How many other opportunities will I have? Besides, it's not like we'll be waltzing around, saying 'Look at us! We're from the future!'"

"Harry, I know-"

"No you don't." He said, his voice rising dangerously. "You don't know what it's like to be an orphan! All I ever wanted was to know what they were like, to just have a chat or something."

Hermione opened her mouth, but Ron cut across her.

"Maybe he doesn't have to be seen." He looked at Harry. "We've got the Invisibility Cloak mate, remember?"

This, however, was not what Harry wanted. How could he explain that merely seeing them was not enough? He had looked at his parents in photographs; even saw them in the Pensieve. What he really wanted to do was talk to them, for the first, and quite likely, the last time. How would he be able to resist, when they were so near, so able to talk and laugh...

"Well, I suppose... as long as they don't see you..." Hermione said thoughtfully. "But Harry, I really don't think these are your parents."

"How many James and Lily Potters do you know?"

"Well, none..."

"Hermione, this Hogwarts is from the past. It all makes sense!"

"But Lily _Potter. _She isn't a Potter yet."

Harry thought they were rather going and circles, and gave her up as a bad job. He instead turned to Ron, who was now looking at the map again.

"Any other names we know?" He asked.

"Yeah. There's _a lot _of Weasleys on here." He said. "Roxanne Weasley, Hugo Weasley, Rose Weasley, Lucy Wealsey..." He gave a small jab to each name as he called them out. "I didn't know I had so many relatives at Hogwarts at the same time! I never even heard of these people..."

"Well, you have a big family." Harry said dismissively. "Anybody else?"

"Yeah. That Malfoy we saw, he shares a room with a Gordon Goyle, and a Nicolas Zabini. I saw Dean Thomas too..."

"Really?"

"Could be his dad."

"He's a Muggle-born." Hermione piped up.

"But I saw him go up to the Dormitories!" Harry said. "He was one of the last to go."

"See! This doesn't make since!" Hermione said. "Maybe the Map's confusing the two Hogwarts."

"I think it's combining names too." Said Ron. "Look."

He pointed to a name, now coming down the stairs into their corridor. Harry's heart gave a leap.

"_Albus Potter_?" They said together.

**AN: Dun, dun, DUN! How's that for a cliff hanger? Pretty awesomely awesome aren't I? Keep your fingers crossed for some an interesting plot next week for a change. Thanks for reading, and as always, please leave a little review I can read. Trust me, I read every single one (probably because there aren't that many...) Anyways, hope you are all having a great weekend, and I'll see ya next week!**


	8. The Coming Out of the Closet

**AN: Is it updating time again? Here it is, the next chapter! I've had some reviewers point out some spelling mistakes in my previous chapters. I just wanted to say that if you see anything wrong, spelling or otherwise, please leave a review or PM about it. I know how annoying it is to come across a mistake while your reading, and I want to make sure I remedy the problem. Keep in mind that I am only human, so there will be some mistakes, but together we can eradicate them!**

**Anyways, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, it belongs to J.K. Rowling. If you never heard of J.K. Rowling, you need to get off this page and read some REAL Harry Potter, ASAP.**

The Coming Out of the Closet

Harry held his breath as he watched the dot move closer and closer. Both Hermione and Ron were silent as well; they merely stared at the map, not daring to make any noise. As Albus Potter drew nearer to their hiding place, Harry's heart beat faster and faster.

He never heard of an Albus Potter, but then again, he didn't know much about his family. Did his father have a brother he never heard of, or perhaps a cousin? Maybe Ron was right, and the Map was mixing the two castles together, although Harry didn't think so. Besides, his father's name was still there, now moving to the Gryffindor Tower.

Harry heard Albus's footsteps echoing along the corridor as he made his way to the closet. They seemed rather hurried, but became much quieter as the dot hovered a few feet away, seeming to creep slowly toward them. Did he know they were hiding a short distance away?

He watched the dot as it stopped, right outside the door. He heard nothing, but he could feel his presence as he imagined Albus standing mere inches away, staring at the door.

"_Expecto Patronum._" Said a quiet voice.

A whooshing sound filled the air for a brief moment, and Harry felt an unexplainable happiness. He felt rather than heard the patronus take flight. He heard Hermione's sharp intake of breath.

"He just sent a message." She breathed, her eyes wide.

Not daring to say anything back, Harry merely stared at the dot before him. It was still. It wasn't going to move.

Ron gave a slight twitch. Harry looked over, and saw Ron pointing at another dot, moving fast from the Ravenclaw Tower. _Rose Weasley_.

Hermione pointed at another name. _Scorpious Malfoy. _And Harry caught another dot, simply because it was moving fast as well. _Willow Clove._

Harry looked at the other two and saw their anxious expressions. They were cornered.

They could only watch as the dots drew nearer. It seemed only minutes before Rose appeared in their corridor, then began to walk briskly toward them, her footsteps loud in the tense silence.

"Why did you-" She began, her voice almost making Harry jump.

"Shh!"

"But-"

"Look."

He was speaking barely above a whisper, but Harry felt a jolt as he recognized the sound of his voice. This was not lost amongst Ron and Hermione, who both gave Harry astonished looks.

There was a sound much like a ruffling of a piece of paper, then silence. The air seemed to double in tension.

Just then, another loud set of footsteps pierced the air, and Harry looked down at the Map to see Scorpious join the other two.

"What-"

The other two shushed him, the ruffling of the paper seemed much louder this time.

He felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked at Hermione, whose face was frightened but determined.

_They have the Map! _She mouthed. Harry's heart plummeted. Ron looked shocked.

_What do we do? _Ron mouthed back.

Harry picked up the Invisibility Cloak off the floor, and, very carefully, so it didn't brush anything around them, threw it over the other two. They all crouched down, so nothing was visible, and Harry felt Hermione stir next to him.

"Have your wand ready," She breathed in his ear. "just in case we need to stun them."

Harry snuffed out his wand with a quiet "_Nox_" and held it out in front of him. Ron did as well, but Hermione kept her wand lit, so they could see the Map.

They watched as Willow's dot made its way to the rest of them, her footsteps almost unheard. She made no comment as she stood beside them, but Harry imagined the others relaying what was going on to her in unheard whispers.

It was a stalemate. Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood still, crouched down and somewhat facing the door in the cramped closet, their wands aloft, waiting for them to open the door. The four outside were still as well, not moving or making a sound, deciding, perhaps, what to do.

Then suddenly, the door was flung open. It took all of Harry's willpower to remain completely still, as the light from the main corridor spilled into the closet. For one brilliant moment, Harry could not see, his eyes sensitive from the semidarkness of his hiding place.

Once his eyes adjusted, Harry had to stifle a gasp. It was like looking in a mirror; for the boy inches away looked exactly like him. His heart raced as his eyes ravaged him: from his untidy black hair, to his sneakered feet, he looked exactly like him. He even had the same glasses. And-

His eyes were green.

Harry's father's eyes had not been green. They were hazel. Harry got his green eyes from his mother. His heart plummeted.

This was not his father.

"Nothing." Scorpious said from behind Rose. "Nobody's in here. The map must have been wrong… the thing's ancient, the magic's probably wearing off…"

Albus and Rose, who stood beside him, did not answer. Rose stared down at the piece of parchment she was holding, frowning slightly, as Albus's brilliant green eyes scanned the closet, passing over them, two, three, four times.

Harry looked down to consult the map, only to that Hermione had snuffed her wand out as well, and he could only see it by the light of the corridor outside. As he scanned its contents, looking for his father's name, just to make sure that his father was still there, Hermione accidently brushed it.

The ruffling seemed magnified in the complete silence, and he saw both Albus's and Rose's eyes snap to where Harry was, crouched and terrified, the map in his hands.

"Albus I'm tired." Scorpious yawned, obviously not hearing Hermione's blunder. "I'm going back to bed-"

He turned to leave, but Albus gripped his arm, his eyes not leaving the spot where Harry was.

"Wands ready." He said out of the corner of his mouth.

Harry was not going to crouch there and wait to be stunned. In one fluid motion he flung the cloak off of him, and cried out a stunning spell.

"STUPEFY!"

A red beam of light hit the nearest one, his look-alike, who crumpled to the floor. Harry aimed next at the small girl behind the boy he stunned, as Ron and Hermione both cried out stunning spells and hit their targets.

"Expelliarmis!"

The girl's wand flew out of her hand and out of sight. The three stepped out of the closet, Harry still pointing his wand at the small girl, who had her hands up in surrender.

"Don't make a sound." Harry whispered, stepping over the body of the boy he stunned. His eyes were fixed on the girl, whose eyes seemed to ravage his forehead. Her eyes widened as she found his scar.

"Where are we?" He asked her.

Ron and Hermione both pointed their wands at her. She continued to stare at Harry as if she never seen anything like him.

"Answer him!" Hermione squeaked, her voice an octave higher than normal.

The girl blinked.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." She whispered.

**AN: Ooohhh! It's getting good (finally). The next chapeter's going to be awesome (maybe). As always thanks for reading, and would you please leave a review. That would make my day! :D**


	9. Willow and the Room

**AN: Is it Sunday already? Looks like it's time for another update! I hope you are all doing well... I'm doing fine, thanks for asking. I'm behind on this story though, I haven't even started on the next chapter! *Gasp!* Oh well, I warned you updating might be slow... so don't be suprised if the next chapter isn't up next week...**

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter (and other characters and places associated with Harry Potter) don't belong to me. I just like to write fanfiction about it! (God, I'm such a nerd...). ^^**

Willow and the Room

"What do you mean?" Harry said, his voice shaking. "Why do you have the Map? What happened? Who are you?"

Willow refused to answer, deciding to merely look at him in wonder instead. She was short and slight, with thin, sandy-brown hair that barely brushed her shoulders. Her sapphire-blue eyes were wide as she continued to stare at him.

Harry didn't have a chance to fire another question, for Hermione was now tugging on his sleeve.

"Harry! We have to move, we can't stand here in the open like this!"

She was quite right. Harry looked down at the three bodies they stunned: Albus, Rose, and Scorpious, limbs splayed and eyed closed. If anyone passed by and saw the unconscious students, with Harry pointing his wand at the small girl, they would be worse than suspended.

"We'll obviously have to move the bodies." Hermione said, and although her voice was shaking, Harry could hear the familiar calculating tone that meant she was thinking of a plan. "But where?"

"Closet?" Ron said, pointing to where they just emerged. "Worked for us."

But Harry had other plans.

"No." He said.

"I agree," Hermione said. "I think it'll make too much noise and waste time if we try and stuff all three-"

"I mean I want to talk to them." Harry interrupted. Ron paled, but Hermione just sighed.

"Harry, we've been over this." She said, sounding slightly irritated, "We can't be seen, and we certainly can't _talk _to anyone!"

"Too late for that, I think." Ron said.

"Which is why we'll have to erase their memories," Hermione said briskly, "so they won't remember anything. I've read up on the Obliviation Charm, and I know the theory. I think I'll be able to do a good job."

But Harry wasn't going to give up that easily. "Hermione think! If we ask them about that charm-thing-"

"Prisoner's Charm Harry, and that's _not _what you want to ask them about."

Harry couldn't help but give his true intention away by glancing down at the Map, which moments ago lay forgotten on the floor, trying to find _James Potter _again.

"But Harry's got a good point." Ron chimed in. "You heard that girl earlier. Maybe she knows more about the Prisoner's Charm, and maybe they can help us escape!"

"I doubt they'll want to help us, as we just stunned them!" Hermione said sharply. "But I suppose, before we perform the Obliviation Charm, it wouldn't hurt to interrogate them for more answers…"

"Brilliant!" Harry said grinning.

"That doesn't mean-" Hermione began.

"We have to get out of here, before somebody sees us." Harry said quickly. "So where to?"

"How 'bout the Room of Requirement?" Ron said. "It'll be big enough, it always is."

"And no one will bother us." Harry added. "Excellent."

"But how do we move the bodies?"

Harry looked down at the stunned students. They would be waking up soon…

"We could perform a suspension charm…" Harry said slowly. "And hide under the Invisibility Cloak. That way it'll look like their walking on their own."

"But that'll hardly look natural, will it?" Hermione said. "They'll be hovering above the ground!"

"Well, if you have a better idea, I'd love to hear it."

"I think that could work."

Harry had forgotten about Willow, and was surprised to hear the quiet voice that was neither Ron's nor Hermione's. She was standing a little ways away from the others, watching them with an unreadable expression. When Harry looked at her, she gave him a timid smile.

"I mean, all the Prefects' and Professors' shifts have ended." She said, in her quiet voice. "It's the grace period between the patrols and morning, so hardly anybody will be out in the corridors. Honestly you could probably do without the Cloak, although maybe you should keep it on, just in case. I'd say you have a good ten minutes to get to the Room of Requirement before that task gets too difficult."

Harry couldn't believe it. They just stunned three of her friends, and she was giving them advice.

"Y-you'll help us?" Hermione said, shocked.

"Absolutely. I think we can help each other, but we must hurry."

Harry blinked. "Okay… you lead. We'll follow you with the Cloak on."

"Okay." She said. "And be careful with my friends." She said, as an afterthought. "I rather like them."

She picked up the piece of parchment Rose had dropped as they performed the charm and hid under the Cloak, their wands still pointing to each of their fellows, holding them up like strings on a marionette. Without another word, she began walking briskly, and they followed.

Willow was right. They corridors were completely deserted, and when Harry passed a large window, he could see the sun poking out of the horizon.

Harry couldn't help but think of how bizarre this all was. He wasn't sure of anything anymore; he really had no clue or idea what was going on. It seemed Willow knew more than they, for her gait was purposeful and slightly rushed, and Harry wondered how much she knew. He thought of the boy who looked so much like him, now hanging limply in the air in front of him, with only Harry's wand keeping him up, and wondered how much he knew to.

On and on they walked, following Willow, who's eyes darted down at the parchment she was holding every minute or so. Harry thought about what Hermione said earlier. Could they really have a map like the Marauder's Map? Was it _the _Marauder's Map?

Harry wasn't as sure as before if this was the past, but it was the best explanation he could think of. Albus, although he looked just like him, was obviously not his father, but he definitely saw his father's name on the map. It was odd, now that he thought about it, that the boy's name _was _Albus. Was he named after Dumbledore? Who would ever name their son after Dumbledore? Sure, he was a great wizard and all, but to name a child Albus was… well, just cruel.

"We're here."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione stopped. Harry saw the familiar tapestry of Barnabus and his trolls, though Harry noticed it was slightly faded and singed. He flung the Cloak off the three of them.

"Okay, so you have to walk past it three-"

"I know how the Room of Requirement works." She said. Willow folded the parchment carefully and tucked it into her robes, then began to pace. Harry watched her walk quickly back and forth, murmuring words he could not here. When she passed the stretch of wall opposite of the tapestry the third time, a plain brown door appeared.

"Hurry." She said, opening the door.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione quickly walked inside, the three students hovering before them. When Harry walked into the room, he couldn't help but fell a little disappointed.

When Harry had needed the Room before, it turned into a magnificent, gigantic room where a large number of people could practice Defense Against the Dark Arts. This room, in comparison, was small and plain. It was slightly larger than his dormitory, with only one window. It had bare, wooden floors and three beds, with fluffy white pillows and blankets. As Harry set Albus on one of the beds, he gave a slight moan.

"They should be waking soon." Willow said. She turned to Harry as Ron and Hermione laid the other two on the beds. "I'm Willow by the way."

"We know, we saw-" He stopped himself.

"-my name on the Map." She finished. She pulled out a wand. "You don't mind do you?"

Before Harry had a chance to answer, she pointed it at Albus. "_Rennervate."_

Albus stirred. He sat up slowly, blinking, and started to look around. When he saw Harry, his sleepy demeanor quickly changed to that of fear and surprise.

"What? What's going on? Where am I? _Where am I!?"_

"The Room of Requirement." Willow said, in her unnervingly soft voice.

"How, but… Willow, did you see…?"

He jerked his head frantically in Harry's direction. Willow gave him a small smile.

"Yes, I know. He's the one that stunned you."

"Stunned…?"

"Yes. Unfortunately, even though we outnumbered them, they were able to stun the three of you and disarm me." Willow gave a soft sigh. "It seems we underestimated them. If they were Death Eaters we would be dead."

Albus paled.

"Don't even… don't say things like that. Where's my wand?"

"I don't know."

He groaned.

"If it makes you feel any better, I don't know where mine is either."

"Funnily enough, that does _not _make me feel better, as the only people with wands are-"

He glanced at the three of them, then looked quickly away.

"Well actually, I have Rose's wand right here." She said, holding it up. "You don't think she'll mind that I used-"

"Excuse me," said Harry suddenly. "Albus, is it?"

Albus glanced at him, looking apprehensive. "Y-yes?"

Harry took a deep breath.

"Do you know who James Potter is?"

**AN: And that's the end! Great story right? One of the best you'ver ever read, isn't it? You gotta love the ending... really ties together the loose ends...**

**Jk, jk. I'll have the next chapter up as soon as I can, hopefully by next week. As always thanks for reading, and if you really want to make me happy, go ahead and leave a review. It'll make me want to right more often...**


	10. The Revelation

**AN: It's Sunday Update time! I hope you all had a wonderful week, because mine was really hetic (in a good way)! But I was able to write another chapter in the midst of my chaotic week and here it is!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling does. But I do own Willow. (My OC, by the way. Some of you seemed confused when I introduced her in the last chapter...). Oh and Violet. Almost forgot about her.**

The Revelation

Albus stared blankly at him.

"James Potter?"

"Yeah." Harry took another deep breath. "This might be hard to believe but-"

"Harry no!"

Harry turned to give Hermione a reproachful look. She was rigid, her fists were clutched at her sides, and the look she was giving him could've killed. "Harry don't you dare-"

"Don't I dare what?" Harry said, his voice rising. "I have a right to ask-"

"No you don't!"

"I'll tell him if I want to!" Harry yelled. "You can't stop me!"

"I will if I have to!" Hermione said, her cheeks flushing. "Harry we mustn't tell them anything, we could change…"

Her voice trailed off as the girl in the bed moaned. Everybody was still as Rose sat up, yawned, and looked tiredly around. Then her eyes widen.

"Where the-"

"Room of Requirement." Willow interrupted.

Her gaze fixed on Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Her eyes got wider, her face paled.

"Albus…" She whispered.

"I know." He said, his voice shaking. "He was asking about James-"

"So you do know him?" Harry said suddenly, not able to hide the excitement in his voice. "Are you related to him? Is he your cousin or something?"

Albus said nothing. Rose sighed.

"Does anybody know where my wand is?"

"Yes." Willow said. "I have it-"

"Don't change the subject!" Harry said, frustrated. "Look, I'm his-"

"Harry!"

"Hermione knock it off!" Ron said. "Let Harry say what he has to say!"

"Don't you yell at me Ronald!" Hermione snapped at once. "We could do some serious damage if we're not careful!"

"We've already stunned and dragged them here Hermione, there isn't much more damage we can do."

"So the Map was right?"

Everybody turned to look at Scorpious. He was sitting up, looking at the three of them with a weary expression. "It wasn't wrong?"

"Of course it wasn't Scorpious." Rose said. "How thick are you? The Map is never wrong. I just didn't know they were going to be this young…"

She looked out the window and for a while nobody said anything. Then she turned around abruptly.

"How old are you?"

"None of your business." Hermione said quickly, as Ron opened his mouth to speak. "We'll ask the questions here."

"Is James-"

"Not that one!" Hermione barked at Harry. She turned to Rose. "You said something earlier about the 'Prisoner's Charm'. We want to know how to break it."

Her brow furrowed. "So that was you, in the corridor, right next to the stairs? I thought I heard someone…"

"Yes that was us." Hermione said briskly. "So how do we break it?"

"I don't know."

Hermione narrowed her eyes at her. "You seemed to know a lot more back there. What, you were just acting smart to impress him?"

She jerked her head towards Scorpious, who was looking at Rose, a little bemused. Rose blushed, looking furious.

"I wasn't 'acting smart'!" She growled. "And if you were effectively eavesdropping, you would have realized I never claimed to know how to get past it! All I said was you need a lot of talented wizards to even make a dent in it!"

"Hmmm… so you don't know anything useful about it at all?" Hermione said slowly. Harry noticed an odd glint in her eye. "What was that other girl's name? Violet right? Looks like she was right about you…"

Hermione seemed to have touched a nerve. Rose was beyond furious. "Give me my wand Willow!"

Willow took a step back. "Now Rose, remember who she is-"

"I don't care who she is." Rose snapped. "Give me my wand!"

"Don't be so melodramatic Rose." Scorpious yawned. "Can't you see she's trying to get a rise out of you?"

Rose gave him a murderous look. But then she sighed.

"Fine. So I don't know anything, okay? So why don't you leave and find out on your own, so I can get a few hours of sleep. I have an _exam_, you see…"

She got up to leave, but Harry, Ron, and Hermione all drew there wands.

"Nobody's leaving!" Hermione said, her voice shrill. "Not until we're done with you!"

"What do you want from us?" Albus said. "We don't know anything!"

"Yes you do." Harry said. "You all do. I can see it in your eyes. You know something we don't." He pointed his wand at Willow. "You said we wouldn't believe you if you told us!"

The four of them exchanged looks. Rose shrugged.

"She's right, you won't."

"Try me."

They exchanged looks again.

"What do you think?" Albus asked.

"I think we should have a vote." Willow said quietly. "That way, it's fair."

"Wait, so all we all get to vote?" Rose said. "That's not fair!"

"How is that not fair?" Scorpious asked. "That's democracy Rose!"

"But you two have nothing to do with this. I mean, it's really just Al and I that are affected by the decision. So you two don't get a vote."

Willow smiled and Scorpious rolled his eyes. "Fine." He said.

"Okay," Albus said. "I vote we tell them."

"And I vote we don't."

"So we need a third vote." Albus sighed. "This is why more than two people need to vote."

"Well, my vote counts twice as much as your vote." Rose said.

"What! Why?"

"Because this affects me more than it affects you. You can even say it affects me _doubly _more than you."

She gave a shifty glance in Harry, Ron, and Hermione's direction. Albus shook his head.

"Now _that's _not fair! Just because… fine whatever." Albus sighed. "I'm done arguing with you. Have it your way."

"So you're not going to tell us anything?" Harry said. His voice was calm, but he could feel the heat rise in his face. "We're supposed to wander around and try and find are way back?"

"Well, it's your own bloody fault." Rose said. "Honestly, why did you come here in the first place? Didn't your Headmaster tell you to stay put?"

"What if we tell you something?" Hermione said, as Harry opened his mouth to retort. "Something you four don't know?"

"I highly doubt you know something we don't know." Rose said, smirking.

"Did you know James Potter is my father?"

Albus and Rose looked stunned. Then Albus shook his head.

"I see, so that's what you thought when you saw his name on the Map? You thought it was your father?"

"He is." Harry insisted. "I'm from the future. We all are." He said, indicating Hermione and Ron.

"Your Hogwarts must have traveled to the future somehow." Hermione said, her voice tentative. "We didn't know where it came from, but after seeing Harry's mum and dad, we knew. I know it's hard to believe… I didn't even believe it at first, but there's no other explanation… stop smirking!? This is serious!"

Rose covered her mouth. "I know, I know!" She said between her fingers. "I'm sorry! But it's the other way around."

"Other way around?" Hermione frowned. "What do you mean-"

She stopped. Then looked out the window. Then at Rose and Albus. Then, quite suddenly, she grabbed Harry by the arm.

"Where's the Map?"

Harry pulled it out of his pocket, and without another word she shook it out and buried herself in it.

Ron and Harry exchanged confused looks. "Hermione…"

"_Lily Potter._" she whispered. "Oh Harry, of course! _That's _why her last name isn't Evans!" She gave Albus an astounded look. "Is she your sister?"

Albus nodded.

"Then James…"

"Brother, yeah."

Hermione looked ready to cry. She turned to Harry. "Oh, _Harry_!"

She hugged him. Harry, bewildered, looked over her shoulder to see Albus shrugging at a furious-looking Rose.

"I thought we voted on not telling them!" She said.

"_You _voted on that!" Albus retorted. "And I'm not the one who gave her the hint. 'Other way around', honestly!"

"I didn't think she would get it right off the bat." She mumbled. "It just sort of slipped out…"

Harry was extremely confused. "Hermione, what-"

"Oh Harry, don't you see?" She said, letting go of him, and giving him a watery smile.

"No."

"Harry, Albus is your son."

**AN: Yeah I know, another cliffhanger, I'm sorry. But when I only have a week to write each chapter, this is how it usually ends up. I'm thinking of updating every other week instead of every week, so that the chapters are longer and have a less frustrating ending. Let me know what you guys think of this plan by either leaving a review or PMing me. The next chapter will be better, and I REALLY don't want to leave you guys hanging every single chapter. I've read stories like that, and that _is_ super annoying. I'm hoping if I have more time to write, than that'll solve the problem. I don't know, we'll see...**

**Anyways, as always please leave a review if you liked it (or didn't) and feel free to give me some constructive criticism! I love reading your reviews. And thanks for reading!**


	11. The Proof, the Secret, and the Lie

**AN: Hello all! It's been awhile hasn't it? Sorry about that... I've been so busy, it's not even funny. Without getting into my life story, let me just say that updating might not be as "regular" as it used to be. I might update every week, or every other week, but sometimes you might not get an update for a good month. I wish I had more time to write good, long, and satisfying chapters, but I really don't. So instead of giving you short segments every week, I decided to give you a great deal more of the story with every update. Because of that, however, updating will be slow. Guarenteed.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Oh, how I wish I did... but I don't.**

The Potter, the Weasley, the Malfoy, and the Muggle-born

Harry was quite sure he hadn't heard Hermione right. He merely stood there and stared at her as Ron started to laugh.

"Ron! This isn't funny!"

"No…bloody…way!" He gasped. "Hermione you're insane! How is that even possible?"

"Yeah…" Harry said, a slow grin creeping up on his face. Her conclusion was completely off the mark. "That doesn't make any sense… I saw James Potter on the Map…"

"James is my brother." Albus said quietly. "You named him after your father."

"I don't believe you." Harry said harshly, rounding on him immediately "How do I know you're not lying?"

"Why is it so hard to believe?" Rose asked. "When you thought we were from the past… why is it so different the other way around?"

"Because…" Harry began. _I wanted to meet my father._ "…how can you prove you're my son? Why should I believe anything you say?"

"Harry…"

"He could be a Death Eater Hermione! They all could! This could be a _trap_!"

"Calm down mate!" Ron said. He clapped his friend on the shoulder. "I don't believe you either." He added to Albus. "This all doesn't make _any _sense!"

"Well… no it doesn't." Hermione said thoughtfully. "I haven't the faintest idea how they managed to transport the entire castle to the past…but it really is the only explanation, when you get down to it. Why else would Albus look just like you Harry?"

"Polyjuice!" Harry said at once. "We used it our 3rd Year, it's not that hard to make!"

"He doesn't have the scar Harry." Hermione said gently.

"He could've covered it up-"

"His name is Albus _Potter_." Hermione countered.

"Potter isn't that uncommon—" Harry started.

"Harry," Hermione said, placing a hand on his arm and giving him an all too understanding look. "I know you wanted to meet your father…"

Harry shook her off and turned away, determined not to look into the eyes of the boy that claimed to be his son. Because if Albus was his son, and James was his son…then his father wasn't here. He won't be able to speak to his father…

"Prove it." He said.

"Huh?"

"Prove it. If you're really my son, if you're really from the future… then you can prove it." He stopped and turned to him, his hands in his pockets and his brow furrowed. "Tell me something that only my son would know."

"Umm… I don't really…"

"If you can't tell me anything," Harry said dangerously, "than I have to assume you're lying. We three can take you four if we have to. We'll stun you again and erase your memories, and we'll find our way out ourselves. If you're really my son, this shouldn't be hard."

Albus looked helplessly at the other three. "Ummm…"

"We don't have all day." Harry said.

Albus paled, looking flustered. "You have an Invisibility Cloak—"

"Yeah, you saw me take it off before I stunned you. Not exactly a secret."

Albus gulped. "You live with your Aunt and Uncle…"

"Everybody knows that—"

"…and you used to live in a cupboard under the stairs!"

Hermione and Ron looked questionably at Harry. Harry considered him thoughtfully. Then he shook his head.

"Sorry, not good enough. You could have tortured my Aunt and Uncle to tell you that. Or just ask Dudley, he'd tell anyone who'd listen... It has to be something only _I _would know."

"Then how the hell am I supposed to know!" Albus said hotly. "You barely tell me anything as it is-"

"Oh, come on. There has to be _something._"

Albus bit his lip.

"Well… I guess there's one thing…" He muttered. He looked up at Harry, desperation in his identical green eyes. "When I was 11, about the board the train to Hogwarts, you told me about the Sorting Hat."

Harry said nothing. Albus sighed.

"You told me… it took your feelings into consideration." He continued. "That when you were being sorted, it listened to you and your opinions."

Still, Harry said nothing, so Albus said the last part in a rush. "It was about to put you in Slytherin, but you asked it to put you in Gryffindor instead!"

"What?" Ron exclaimed, rounding on Harry at once. "His he serious!? You were going to be in Slytherin? _Slytherin!?_"

"There's nothing wrong with being in Slytherin." Hermione said, giving Scorpious, who looked defeated, and encouraging smile. "But honestly Harry, why didn't you tell us?"

Harry, however, was not paying the slightest bit of attention to either Ron or Hermione.

"Only Dumbledore knows that…" He said quietly. "How did you know?"

"You told me." Albus said weakly, shrugging. "James was teasing me about being sorted into Slytherin, so you told me about how the you asked the Sorting Hat to put you in Gryffindor. I was the only one besides Dumbledore that knew; you never even told James or Lily—"

"Lily…"

"My little sister." Albus said horridly. "She and James were both confident about being sorted Gryffindor. Me… not so much."

Harry was speechless. _So it's true_. He thought. _He _is _my son…_

"No, no. I'm sorry but no." Ron said, hiccupping into seriousness. "This is just too weird. How could an entire _bloody_ castle travel to the past?"

"How should we know?" Rose said hotly. "We didn't do anything! We're all—"

"A little defensive, if you ask me." Hermione interrupted. She gave all four of them withering looks. "I believe you're from the future, but don't think for a second that I believe you had nothing to do with this."

"We really didn't!" Scorpious said. "Honestly, we really were doing nothing this time. We're just as confused as you three!"

Harry snapped out of his haze, seemingly noticing Scorpious for the first time. "Wait. You're Scorpious _Malfoy _right?"

"I—"

"Yeah." Ron said, striding toward Scorpious and peering down at him. "And if you're from the future… then…"

He laughed. Scorpious winced.

"Oh, man." He chuckled, fingering his wand. "This is going to be fun…"

"Ron, don't you dare!" Hermione shrieked, as Albus gave an angry shout and Rose drew out her wand. "He hasn't done anything to you!"

"It was a joke!" Ron said, eyeing Rose's wand nervously. "I wasn't going to do anything to the bloke, honestly! Just having a laugh..." He grinned at Scorpious. "But you are Malfoy's son aren't you? Draco Malfoy?"

He nodded tentatively.

Harry suddenly remembered why they had come here in the first place. "Malfoy… your dad, I mean… we think he's up to something. We think he's doing something for Voldemort. Do you have any idea what that could be? I mean… has he told you anything?"

Scorpious looked very uncomfortable. "No, sorry. He never talks about his Death Eater days, so I wouldn't know—"

"Death Eater?" Harry said, as Hermione and Ron groaned. "So he is working for Voldemort?"

"I'm sure he meant he will be one eventually." Hermione said evenly, before Scorpious could answer. "But there's no implication that he is one right now."

"No implication? Hermione, the bloke is up to something, and I just know it has something to do with Voldemort! I'm telling you he's a Death Eater!"

"And I'm telling you they wouldn't make a 16 year-old a Death Eater!" Hermione retorted. "He would never trust a Hogwarts student to do anything!"

"But Scorpious said—"

"Why should we trust anything he says?" Ron chimed in, pointing accusingly at him. "If he really is Malfoy's kid, then he could be lying to us right now!"

"So, guilty by association?" Rose said coldly, giving Ron a disgusted look. "Just because he's Draco Malfoy's son, you're going to assume he can't be trusted? That's just how the Death Eaters think, you know. They think Muggles and Muggle-borns can't be trusted, just because of their parentage. Quite frankly, you with that kind of attitude, you would make a better Death Eater than Scorpious…"

"Oi!" Ron said. "I'm no—"

"Enough!" Hermione barked. "Ron she's right. We have no right to judge."

Ron, grumbling, and giving Rose a distrustful look, went to look Map. "So what about my brother?" Ron said suddenly.

"Brother?" Rose said.

"Yeah, he's on the map." He took the Map from Hermione and showed his name to Rose. "See? Fred Weasley, that's my brother."

"Oh… no that isn't your brother. That's actually my cousin."

"Oh, that's right!" Hermione said. "You're a Weasley, aren't you?"

"How many cousins do you have anyway?" Ron said frowning, still looking at the Map. "There's like a small army of you…"

"That's only some of us." Rose said. "Some already graduated. You should see us at Christmas… we can hardly fit into the Burrow. One year we had to eat outside, it was so crowded…"

"Who are your parents?" Hermione asked.

"Huh?"

"Well, I was just curious." Hermione said sheepishly. "Since it isn't extremely obvious who your parents are…"

"It isn't?" Rose said.

"Yeah it is!" Ron exclaimed. "You can't tell Hermione?"

"How can I tell? You all look alike!"

"Yeah, I guess you're not around us often enough. But it really is easy to tell. She's Percy's!"

"Percy!?" Hermione exclaimed, as Rose opened her mouth. "How can you be so sure?"

"Honestly Hermione, who else could it be? Perce is the only one who would have a Ravenclaw for a daughter. He's even dating that one girl, you know, that used to be a Ravenclaw prefect? At least I think he still is…"

Ron scratched his chin, looking thoughtful. Rose looked conflicted, opening and closing her mouth several times, looking between Ron and Hermione. Hermione gave her a searching look.

"Well?" She said. "Is he right? Are you Percy's daughter?"

"Ermm…" Rose looking extremely uncomfortable, looked over at Albus, who raised an eyebrow at her. "I-"

"Don't worry." Ron said reading her expression. "Even though your father's a prat-"

"Ron!"

"Well, he is! He's a biggest prat I know-"

"It doesn't matter." Hermione said. "You can't say that in front of his daughter!" She gave Rose a small smile. "What Ron means is that although your father is… not himself at the moment, that doesn't mean we don't like you."

"Good to know." Rose grunted, as Albus rolled his eyes, and Scorpious looked away quickly, covering his mouth. "By the way, my dad's the biggest prat I know too."

Harry and Ron laughed, and even Hermione's mouth twitched before she turned to Willow.

"So what about you? Do we know your parents?"

"I doubt it, as they're both Muggles." She said quietly.

"Oh, so you're a Muggle-born?" Hermione said. "So am I."

"Yes, I know." Willow said, smiling at her. "You're a bit of a hero to us Muggle-borns."

"R-really?" Hermione stammered, blushing.

She nodded. "Oh, yes. You're one of the brightest students Hogwarts has ever had. You're an example of how Muggle-borns can be just as successful as Pure-bloods and Half-bloods."

Ron chuckled at Hermione's face, which was growing pinker. "Don't look so surprised Hermione. You really are a brilliant witch."

Hermione gave him a grateful smile. "Thanks Ron!"

Ron scuffed the floor with his shoe, his ears turning red. "It's true… no need to thank me…" He grunted.

It was silent for a moment, as Ron continued to scuff the floor, and Hermione seemingly deep in thought. Harry began to place, thinking as well.

"So you have no idea how you got here?" He said to no one in particular.

"No." Rose answered. "I can't think of any explanation. Time-Turners are the only magical items that can cause time travel as far as I know, and there are none left."

"There isn't?"

"No Harry." Hermione said. "Remember when we fought at the Ministry? All the Time-Turners were destroyed when we battled those Death Eaters! And even if it was a Time-Turner, they were only meant to transport one person… two or three if you could manage it. There wouldn't be one _nearly _big enough to transport an entire castle full of people!"

"And we really shouldn't be worrying about that anyway." Rose said. "Our main concern right now is getting you three back into your own Hogwarts. If you three see something or run into someone you're not supposed to—"

"Too late for that I think?" Ron grinned.

"—there's no telling what damage you could do to the future." She continued, ignoring Ron. "The faster you're back in your own castle the better."

"But we could help you." Harry said.

Hermione sighed. "Harry, she's right. We really need to go back to _our _Hogwarts."

"But I'm just saying… as long as we're _here_…"

"We could use all the help we can get." Albus said. "We really don't know how to go about getting back, to be quite frank…"

"But Albus…"

"Oh, come on Rose. They're already here!" He turned to his father. "We can help each other out."

Harry grinned. "Excellent."

**AN: Tada! Pretty long this time eh? You're welcome (hehe). Let me know what you think by leaving me a good ol' review! Reviews make me smile and get me through my day (seriously, they do!) and don't be afraid to give me some constructive critism if you feel that anything is wrong or can be improved upon. And as always thanks for reading! :)**


	12. Distractions

**AN: Oh. My. Goodness. How long has it been since I updates? Too long! I'm sooo sorry you guys, but I've up to my elbows in tests and homework assignments and speeches and whole other slew of stupid college stuff. I really should be working on my final speech and studying for my Statistics test... but the urge to write overwhelmed me. So after weeks and weeks, I FINALLY finished this chapter! Yay! Now enough of my ramblings...**

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, who recenlty wrote a novel called _Casual Vacancy _that I will be getting shortly. I can't wait! :)**

Distractions

Shortly after the decision was made for Harry, Ron, and Hermione to stay in the Room of Requirement for the remainder of their stay, the other four left, with Rose practically dragging them all out ("We can't miss our classes! And I have an _exam_!). Once they left, Harry flopped onto one of the beds, completely exhausted. The only thing he wanted to do was sleep for a month, but too many things were going through his mind.

"I can't believe this…" He said, running a hand through his messy hair. "That was my son. My _son_."

"Harry, I know." Hermione said. "But we can't dwell on that. We have to figure out how to get past that charm!" She paced the room. "I wonder if there are any _books _in here…"

"Doubt it." Ron said, looking around. "It's so _small_. That girl couldn't give us some sofas or something? There's not even a kitchen in here…"

"'That girl's' name is Willow, and it was very nice of her to think us up a room. Besides, even if she did give us a kitchen, it wouldn't have any food, because of Gamp's Law—"

"Hey look at this!" Ron exclaimed. He was looking out the lonely window, waving the other two over. "I can see Hogwarts from here. _Our _Hogwarts!"

Huffing, Hermione slowly walked toward him, but Harry stayed put on the bed. He didn't care about the Charm or their Hogwarts. He only had one thing on his mind.

"Albus said something about siblings, didn't he?"

Hermione rounded on him at once.

"No, don't even _think _about it! No, don't you dare—"

"Think about what?' Ron said flopping on Harry's bed and yawning.

"He wants to meet his other children." Hermione said. "Which is a completely foolish idea! It's bad enough you've met one—"

"Exactly!" Harry exclaimed. "We've already met Albus, what more harm could we do?"

"Loads! Harry, we really need to figure out how to disable that charm, not chase after your future children!"

"Easy for you to say!" Harry fired at her. "What if you were in my position Hermione? What if the only family you've ever known your entire life hated you? What if you had an aunt and uncle and cousin like mine, whose greatest ambition for me is to move out or keel over and die?"

"But Harry—"

"And what if you finally met someone, someone who says they're family, and don't hate your guts? And what if he says there are more? I never had a family that loved me Hermione, future or not. Do you seriously think I won't try everything in my power to meet them? If I have to stun you and Ron, and the lot of them too, then I will!"

Hermione and Ron were silent. Hermione bit her lip, looking conflicted, while Ron stared at anything but the pair of them.

"I'm serious Hermione." Harry said after a few minutes. "I'll—"

"Harry, I know how… I mean I don't!" She said hurriedly as Harry opened his mouth to retort. "What I mean is… I haven't a clue how you must be feeling right now, but can't you see how dangerous this all is? We can't risk causing any more damage than we already have! We have to go back—"

"And we will. After we see my two other kids."

Hermione sighed, and then turned to Ron. "What do you think?"

Ron looked uncomfortable. "Well… I think Harry has the right to see his own kids if he wants too… but maybe you should really think about it mate."

"I already have." Harry said promptly. "I'm going to see them. Albus probably already told them about us any way… maybe they're on their way right now."

Harry turned hopefully the door.

"Well then I support Harry." Ron said. "It's his kids Hermione, what do you want?"

"Fine." Hermione said, in a tone that suggested that she was all but fine. "But I think we need to discuss this with your son Harry."

"What's there to discuss? He's my son; he can't tell me what I can and can't do."

"Well, no… but I really think you should listen to him if he's against it! But what I'm trying to say is that he might be able to bring them here, so that you don't go off running around the castle calling their names…"

"So we're supposed to stay in here forever?" Ron said. "How are we supposed to eat?"

"Well, I would imagine they would bring us food Ron." Hermione said.

"But when will that be?"

"I don't know they didn't say. Anyway—"

"But I'm _starving_…"

"For goodness sake's Ron, it's only 9:00!"

"But we didn't eat breakfast…"

Just then the door flew open as a flustered looking Rose rushed in.

"Almost forgot you three were here." She said. "Just stopped by—"

"Thank Merlin you're here! Did you bring any food?"

"Food?" Rose said, checking the watch on her wrist. "But it's only 9:00!"

"Yes, but you see, he hasn't eaten any breakfast." Hermione said sarcastically before Ron could answer.

"Well I didn't…" Ron said meekly.

"Sorry, but you'll have to wait. Breakfast is over and I have a class to get to. I just wanted to see if you were all still alive in here."

She turned to leave, but Harry called after her.

"Wait." He said, rushing over and standing in front of the door.

"What?"

He took a deep breath.

"I want to meet James and Lily."

She blinked. "I'm sorry Harry, but I don't think that's a good idea."

"Tell Albus I want to talk to him about it."

"But—"

"No offense Rose, but this really is none of your business. Just tell Albus to come here as soon as possible."

Rose looked as if she was just slapped.

"Well why should I?" She said hotly, swelling with anger and turning a dangerous red. "If it's 'none of my business', why should I bother telling Albus anything?"

"If you don't tell him, I'll go tell him myself." Harry replied calmly.

Rose gave him a withering look. "Fine, I'll tell him."

Shutting the door with much more force than necessary, she left, leaving a satisfied Harry behind.

"There's no need to be that rude Harry." Hermione said once the door's echo died away.

"Did you hear her? She was trying to tell me that I shouldn't meet my own children!"

"She was only giving her opinion; you didn't have to tell her it 'none of her business.'"

"Well it isn't." Harry said simply. "And you're only defending her because she agrees with you!"

"Guys, stop arguing!" Ron groaned. "You're making me hungrier!"

"Shut up Ron!" Hermione growled. "I'm tired of hearing how hungry you are! And I'm tire of _you _going on about meeting James and Lily. We all three need to focus on disabling that Prisoner's Charm, so we can go back to our own Hogwarts!"

"I can't think with an empty stomach! It's growling! Hear it?"

There was silence as both Harry and Hermione tried to hear Ron's growling stomach. After a few moments of this, Hermione let out a frustrated noise.

"This is stupid! If you two are just going to be _completely _distracted from what we are _supposed _to be doing, then I can't be in the same room as you!"  
"Well that's too bad, as we can't leave this room…" Harry said. Then added hurriedly, "…unless you want—"

"I'm going to the bathroom, so that I can _think_." She said, making her way to the small bathroom on the other side of the room and shutting the door.

"Oi!" Ron yelled after her. "What if I have to go?"

There was silence. Ron rolled his eyes at Harry. "_Women_."

Harry gave Ron a thoughtful look. "You don't think it's a bad idea for me to meet James and Lily do you?"

Ron scratched his head. "Well… honestly Harry, we can't really muck up this situation any more than we already have. So I don't think it's the best idea, but I don't think it'll do any more harm. Besides, I'm curious to see what they're like."

"Yeah… I wonder who their mother is…"

"Well it isn't Hermione, if that's what you were thinking."

"…it wasn't."

"I'm just saying mate, there's no way it's Hermione… right?"

"Right."

"Right… yeah. Well I don't know mate, you can't really tell with Albus. He looks just like you!"

"I know. Maybe his siblings look like their mother."

"Maybe. Or maybe they all look like you."

"Or my mother. Do you think Lily looks like my mother?"

Ron shrugged.

It was silent for a while, both boys lost in thought. Harry began to wonder if he had already met his future wife, the future mother of his children. Did he sit beside her in class or walk by her in the hallway every day? Did she even go to Hogwarts? Was she even a witch?

"Do you think I have any kids Harry?" Ron said, his voice slightly higher than usual.

"What?" Harry said.

"Well, there's a bunch of little Weasley's on the Map, and I was just wondering if any of them could be mine…"

"Umm… I don't know Ron, probably. You could ask Rose; they're her cousins after all."

"I don't know, I don't think she likes me very much…"

Harry was about to reply when the door opened with a small creak.

Harry turned to see Willow by the door, gently closing it. She turned and gave them both small, timid smile.

"I heard you were being unreasonable." She said to Harry.

"Oh you did, did you?" Harry said.

She nodded. "Yes, Rose told me your request. I know it's none of my business either, but I agree with you."

Harry looked at her, stunned. "You do?"

"Yes. I believe it's important for you to meet James and Lily. I'm sure they would love to meet you too, if they knew you were here."

"So is Albus going to it? Is he going to bring them here?"

"I'm not sure what Albus is going to do or what he thinks about this, since I haven't seen him since Herbology this morning. But Rose isn't very happy about the whole idea."

"Well she can be unhappy all she wants." Harry said. "It's none of her concern."

"You do realize she has known Albus and his siblings since she was born don't you?" Willow said quietly. "And that to her, this as much her concern as it is Albus's."

"But that's not her brother or sister." Harry retorted.

"They might as well be." Willow said. "She may not be their sister by blood, but she's as close to them as Albus is."

"Sorry…" Harry said sheepishly. "I didn't mean to upset her."

"Oh she's fine." Willow said dismissively. "She was a little annoyed with you, but she's calmed down and realized that you need to see them, and she can't stop you. Oh!"

She turned to Ron.

"She also told me you were hungry, so I got you this."

She handed him a packet of Bernie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.

"I know they're not very filling, but they'll help hold you over until lunch. Albus, Rose, Scorpious and I will get you all more food, and we'll discuss this idea further. Where's Hermione?"

"Inth ot bothrum." Ron said through a mouthful of candy.

"Why?"

"She's thinking." Harry said. "Thanks Willow."

"You're welcome. I'll see you all in a short while."

Once she left, Ron swallowed his mouthful. "Bless her." He said shaking some more into his hand. "Want some Harry?"

Harry shook his head, just as Hermione reappeared.

"I see you're done in the bathroom." Ron smirked.

"I see you have food. Where did you get that?"

"Willow gave them to me. Sweet girl that one…"

"Willow was here? When?"

"Just missed her." Harry said. "Rose told Willow about my idea."

"Oh really?" Hermione said. "And what does she think?"

"She agrees I should meet them." Harry said lightly. "Says they would want to meet me too."

"Well of course they would Harry." Hermione said quickly. "But that doesn't mean they should."

"They're coming back for lunch so that we can 'discuss things further.'"

"Whatever that means." Ron said.

"It means they'll try and talk Harry out of it—"

"—but they'll fail, and Albus will bring James and Lily up here instead." Harry said. He lay down on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. "Maybe I'll see them by tonight."

"How about now?"

Harry jumped up. Hermione gave a small shriek of surprise as Ron began to choke.

A young boy standing by the door, grinning from ear to ear.

**AN: Yep, another cliff hanger. I am so sorry, but I can't help it. The wait for the next update won't be as long as this one, I promise. There was a lot of pointless dialouge in this one I must say... sorry about that. I haven't written for fun in a long while. Anywhos, I would be forever grateful if you would go ahead and leave a nice little review for me to read. And as always thanks for reading! :D**


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